Over 125,000 overseas Filipino workers have collectively recovered close to P119 million in terminal fees since the Department of Migrant Workers activated its DMW e-Verify system with the New NAIA Infra Corp (NNIC), the agency reported in a post on its official Facebook page.
The refunds trace back to a long-standing entitlement: Filipinos working abroad are not required to shoulder the international terminal fee, formally the International Passenger Service Charge, when leaving the country for their jobs. Because airlines fold that charge into the ticket price at the point of purchase, the exemption has functioned as a reimbursement rather than an automatic waiver — workers pay it with their fare and reclaim it afterward.
Central to the newer process is the OFW Pass, a digital exit clearance generated inside the government’s eGovPH app. The DMW positions it as a replacement for the printed Overseas Employment Certificate that Balik-Manggagawa workers once had to secure and present at the airport. At check-in, an eligible worker needs only a passport and the QR-coded pass on the phone; carrier staff confirm the clearance electronically instead of handling paper documents.
A total of 37 airlines operating out of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminals 1 and 3 now honor the digital pass, up from the 24 international carriers that had signed on when the rollout was first reported. Verification runs through DMW e-Verify, which the department says also lets participating airlines match their terminal fee exemption records against remittance reports without manual paperwork.
The department has framed the arrangement as both a convenience and an acknowledgment of the sacrifices migrant workers make and their role in sustaining the national economy. Faster check-in is one benefit; the other is a more dependable route to getting the terminal fee back.
At NAIA, the refund itself moved fully online earlier this year, with NNIC — which collects the charge as the airport’s operator — processing declarations on weekdays. Claimants submit their boarding pass, a valid photo ID, and a signed NNIC refund declaration, and no immigration stamp is required for workers who clear departure through the e-gates.
